On Sept. 22, French police raided and bulldozed a camp known as “the Jungle” near the English Channel port of Calais. Teams armed with backhoes and buzz saws brought the residents’ tents down with full force.
More than 800 immigrants, the majority coming from Afghanistan and northern Africa, lived near the port. Hundreds left ahead of time as the date set for the destruction of their homes grew near. Most were under 18, and many were taken away in tears.
“This operation adds nothing and resolves nothing,” said Vincent Lenoir of the Salam Association, which had regularly distributed meals to the immigrants. (Associated Press, Sept. 22)
The raids and the destruction of camps are part of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s racist war on immigrants and poor workers. The governments in France, Greece, Italy and Spain are among those calling on the rest of the European Union to wage an all-out war on immigrants and to organize a common European border police force.
